Are gamma-ray bursts optically thick?

Abstract

To test the hypothesis that optically thick neutron-star models can produce very hard spectra if the energy density of the source is as high as it is in a thermal radiation field at a temperature of about 1 MeV, consideration is given to the fate of a quantity E of pure energy. This quantity is initially confined to a sphere in equilibrium at a temperature greater than 1 MeV and then allowed to expand freely. Given the shortcomings of conventional models, the possibility that burst sources could be optically thick and distant should not be dismissed.

Identifiers

DOI

10.1086/184741

Citations and references